‘Nipco spends N17b on CNG projects’

Nipco Plc, an integrated indigenous downstream operator, has injected over N17 billion in the provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) infrastructure in a joint venture scheme with Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC).

The scheme resulted in the setting up of Green Gas Limited had inaugurated 8 CNG stations and three conversion workshops in Benin City while more outlets are under construction in other parts of the country.

He said over 1,500 vehicles had been configured to use CNG as vehicular fuel, which are capable of saving the nation huge a lot of money that could have been expended on fuel subsidy

The Nipco boss explained that the GGL initiative, which is the first of its kind in West Africa, is ushering a new set of vehicles running on CNG in Nigeria with their attendant benefits.

Venkatapathy listed other infrastructure provided by the JV Company to include the laying of over 50 km still pipelines for gas distribution to the inaugurated CNG stations Benin City to guarantee access to gas to the outlets.

He said the conversion, which takes five hours has been very smooth since 2009 when the company inaugurated its first set of stations .

Venkatapathy explained that after conversion the vehicle could run on petrol and natural gas, thus giving the motorist a tab switch between using CNG and petrol.

The NIPCO helmsman said in to create more awareness on the benefits of powering vehicles with gas over petrol, GGL has showed cased CNG vehicles in exhibitions, including the NGA event to enable the public to see and experience vehicle that runs on petrol and CNG.

He said the latest addition in the CNG revolution being undertaken by GGL is the conversion of tricycles popularly referred to as “Keke Napep” and Mass Transit buses in the fleet of Edo State government transport fleet popularly known as “Comrade Bus”.

According to him, five Edo mass transport buses are running on CNG for the last six months while 25 more are being converted as a further boost to natural gas usage in the state and beyond.

“The CNG initiative, which is the first of its kind in West Africa, is receiving a lot of support from both the Federal and Edo State government, a feat that is serving as good catalyst for GGL to pursue the dream with vigour and deep sense of responsibility, he noted.

He reiterated that pioneering the project was a big challenge but the unwavering commitment of the Federal Government through the relevant agencies such as the NGC the JV partner, DPR etc have spurred them to redouble their efforts to enable the citizenry to enjoy the benefits of the environment friendly fuel.

Group Executive Director, Gas and Power, NNPC, Dr David Ige said the GGL initiative was commendable and in line with the transformation policy of President Goodluck Jonathan, which harps on the exploration of the abundant natural gas reserves for the benefit of the people.

“The initiative between NIPCO and Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) was to leverage Natural Gas in vehicular use as it is significantly cheap, environment friendly, safe and efficient in comparison to white products, especially in a deregulated fuel market,” he said.

Ige maintained that over time, the 50 per cent savings enjoyed by taxi drivers whose cars run on CNG would be passed to passengers and make an average passenger in Nigeria move around at a relatively cheaper rate than they could with petrol.

The NNPC chief assured that the government would continue to support initiatives of this nature, adding that of the three firms given the licence to pioneer CNG revolution in 2007, only NIPCO showed enough commitment.